


No More Destination

by MiniNephthys



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-09
Updated: 2015-10-09
Packaged: 2018-04-25 14:43:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4964692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniNephthys/pseuds/MiniNephthys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Someone breaks the news to Papyrus.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No More Destination

**Author's Note:**

> Post-Papyrus solo neutral ending.

It’s a kid who interrupts Papyrus’ motivational speech with, “You know they’re not coming back, right?”

Papyrus cuts off mid-word and looks down at the tiny yellow child. “What? Preposterous. Of course they’re coming back any month now.“

“They’re not. They’re not coming back ever. My parents told me so,” says the child, meeting his gaze. “Not Undyne, or Asgore, or the rest of them.”

“I don’t mean to contradict your parents, because you should always respect your parents and listen to what they say,” says Papyrus, “but Undyne would never allow me to be in charge on a permanent basis when she hasn’t even appointed me to the Royal Guard yet. So it must only be a temporary thing.”

“King Papyrus,” says the child, with all the conviction of someone who doesn’t know why no one else has broken the news yet, “Undyne is dead.”

* * *

When Papyrus finds Sans, he’s in New Home, reading over letters from monsters. “Hey, bro. Want to hear the latest word from the people?”

“Not right now,” says Papyrus. “Sans, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“That Undyne... wasn’t coming back.” There’s a hitch in Papyrus’ voice. “Why didn’t you say something?”

Sans sets the letter he was looking at down on his desk. “How’d you figure it out?”

“A kid told me. He said my friend the human had… had...” Papyrus stares intensely at the ground. “K-killed her.”

“...Yeah. That’s what happened. Didn’t want you to know.”

Papyrus’s head snaps back up and his voice raises above his normal volume. “I’m not a child, Sans. I’m a very intelligent and mature skeleton who knows lots of things! Maybe not about hurting people, or about… dying… but I deserve to know what happens to my friends!”

Sans has nothing to say as Papyrus yells at him. He sits in his chair with his eyes shut.

Papyrus continues. “How long were you planning to go before you told me?!”

“Don’t know,” says Sans, still not looking at him. “Years, maybe.”

“You wanted me to go years thinking my friends were just having a fun time somewhere else! Hurting everybody else who knew, every time I talked about them! I talk about them a lot, Sans! Because they’re my friends and I want them to be happy!”

Papyrus grabs Sans by the shoulders. Both of them know that Sans let him do it. It doesn’t stop Papyrus from shaking him.

It doesn’t last long, and eventually Papyrus just holds his shoulders, not moving. “...Why would you lie to me?”

“‘Cause I’m a coward,” says Sans, finally cracking open his eyes. “I can’t stand hurting you, so I put it off. You were happy a little longer that way.”

Papyrus’ grip tightens. It hurts, but Sans would never say so. “I don’t want to be happy without my friends.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“I miss them so much.”

“I know.”

“It’s not going to be okay, is it?”

Sans shakes his head and Papyrus hugs him. That he’s shaking down to his bones is something Sans doesn’t even think of saying.


End file.
